Who Do You Believe? "We want to make sure that women have choices when it comes to abortion services, and if you regulate it too strictly, then you deny women the access to the service." Barbara Radford National Abortion Federation Executive Director CBS News, 60 Minutes, April 21, 1991
Twenty-seven year old Catherine Pierce was left unattended in the recovery room of Atlanta Surgi-Center after her abortion on March 11, 1989. By the time somebody checked on her, she was in cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel were able to get her heart started again, but Catherine languished, comatose, in a nursing home until her death on October 10, 1989. She left behind an 11-year-old daughter. Atlanta Surgi-Center was cited by the authorities for administering the same dose of anesthesia to patients whose weights ranged from 107 to 167 pounds, as well as for inadequately supervising patients and keeping inadequate records. Atlanta Surgi-Center was a National Abortion Federation member clinic.1 "Our NAF members are the best abortion providers in the country."
Susan Shapiro, NAF Spokeswoman
Taped telephone conversation with Life Dynamics
October 19, 1995
Thirty-one year old Pamela Colson underwent a first-trimester abortion at Pensacola Women's Medical Services on June 26, 1994. During the drive home, her friends noticed that she was bleeding profusely and was unresponsive. They stopped and called an ambulance while two passers-by tried to save Pamela with CPR. Pamela was taken to the hospital, where she bled to death despite an emergency hysterectomy. Pamela had been sent home with a perforated uterus. Pensacola Women's Medical Services was a NAF member clinic.2 "We check out all of our clinics to make sure they're very good places."
NAF Hotline Counselor
Taped telephone conversation with Life Dynamics
October 18, 1995
Eighteen-year-old Barbaralee Davis went to Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois for an abortion on June 14, 1977. The clinic kept her for two hours after her abortion because she was pale and in pain. When Barbaralee was discharged, weak and bleeding, her sister helped her to the car. Barbaralee slept in the back seat on the drive home. Several hours later, Barbaralee was found unresponsive in her bed. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Autopsy findings included the face and spinal column of Barbaralee's fetus embedded in her lacerated uterus. Barbaralee had been referred to the National Abortion Federation member clinic by a local women's group.3 "[NAF is] a group of abortion providers that band together for the purpose of their own benefit."
Ronachai Banchangmonie
former National Abortion Federation member
Deposition in Jefferson (KY) Circuit Court
Case No. 94-CI-01970
Nineteen-year-old Robin went to Bill Baird's abortion clinic on February 22, 1980. Her abortion was done by an ear, nose, and throat specialist who realized after starting the procedure that the fetus was not 11 - 12 weeks as he'd originally estimated. As he continued the abortion, Robin pleaded for him to stop. He told her to "hold on a little longer" and said that he was saving her money by not using anesthesia. After Robin went into shock, staff walked her down the steps and sent her to the hospital in a taxi. Robin needed a hysterectomy, 16 units of blood, and 6 hours of surgery. She spent a month in the hospital, four days of that in the Intensive Care Unit, and nearly died. She continued to suffer lingering physical problems with her legs and bladder after discharge. It was determined that Robin had actually been around 20 weeks pregnant. Bill Baird and his clinic are National Abortion Federation members.4
"We do have bad practitioners. And it's affecting all of us. And we have been reluctant to do anything or say anything or whatever because of the physician shortage. We don't want bad press, but when something happens, under our breaths we all say, 'Well, it was just a matter of time.'" National Abortion Federation Risk Management Seminar participant September 1994
(Listed here are Deanna Bell, Patricia Chacon, Laniece Dorsey, Josefina Garcia, Denise Holmes, Joyce Ortenzio, Mary Pena, and Tami Suematsu-- eight of the women who died from FPA abortions.) "Their basic goal is to refer them to a NAF member clinic, and that's what they do."
NAF Spokeswoman Susan Shapiro
Taped telephone conversation with Life Dynamics
October 19, 1995
Telephone conversations quoted here are cited in Lime 5 by Mark Crutcher
copyright 1996 Life Dynamics Inc.
1.Associated Press 5/12/89, 7/28/89, 8/7/89 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution 5/12/89, 7/28/89, 1/5/90 Chattanooga News-Free Press 5/13/89, 1/4/90
2. Panama City News Herald 6/26/94 Pensacola News Journal 6/29/94 USA Today 6/30/94 St. Petersburg Times 6/30/94 Miami Herald 6/30/94, 7/30/94
Florida District 1 Autopsy Report No. MLA94-266
3. Perry County (IL) Coroner report 6/20/77 Chicago Tribune 8/31/77 CDC Abortion Surveillance Summary 1977 St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6/15/79 4. Suffolk (MA) Superior Court Civil Action No. 47117
"We want to make sure that women have choices when it comes to abortion services, and if you regulate it too strictly, then you deny women the access to the service."
Barbara Radford
National Abortion Federation Executive Director
CBS News, 60 Minutes, April 21, 1991
Twenty-seven year old Catherine Pierce was left unattended in the recovery room of Atlanta Surgi-Center after her abortion on March 11, 1989. By the time somebody checked on her, she was in cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel were able to get her heart started again, but Catherine languished, comatose, in a nursing home until her death on October 10, 1989. She left behind an 11-year-old daughter. Atlanta Surgi-Center was cited by the authorities for administering the same dose of anesthesia to patients whose weights ranged from 107 to 167 pounds, as well as for inadequately supervising patients and keeping inadequate records. Atlanta Surgi-Center was a National Abortion Federation member clinic.1
"Our NAF members are the best abortion providers in the country."
Susan Shapiro, NAF Spokeswoman
Taped telephone conversation with Life Dynamics
October 19, 1995
Thirty-one year old Pamela Colson underwent a first-trimester abortion at Pensacola Women's Medical Services on June 26, 1994. During the drive home, her friends noticed that she was bleeding profusely and was unresponsive. They stopped and called an ambulance while two passers-by tried to save Pamela with CPR. Pamela was taken to the hospital, where she bled to death despite an emergency hysterectomy. Pamela had been sent home with a perforated uterus. Pensacola Women's Medical Services was a NAF member clinic.2
"We check out all of our clinics to make sure they're very good places."
NAF Hotline Counselor
Taped telephone conversation with Life Dynamics
October 18, 1995
Eighteen-year-old Barbaralee Davis went to Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois for an abortion on June 14, 1977. The clinic kept her for two hours after her abortion because she was pale and in pain. When Barbaralee was discharged, weak and bleeding, her sister helped her to the car. Barbaralee slept in the back seat on the drive home. Several hours later, Barbaralee was found unresponsive in her bed. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Autopsy findings included the face and spinal column of Barbaralee's fetus embedded in her lacerated uterus. Barbaralee had been referred to the National Abortion Federation member clinic by a local women's group.3
"[NAF is] a group of abortion providers that band together for the purpose of their own benefit."
Ronachai Banchangmonie
former National Abortion Federation member
Deposition in Jefferson (KY) Circuit Court
Case No. 94-CI-01970
Nineteen-year-old Robin went to Bill Baird's abortion clinic on February 22, 1980. Her abortion was done by an ear, nose, and throat specialist who realized after starting the procedure that the fetus was not 11 - 12 weeks as he'd originally estimated. As he continued the abortion, Robin pleaded for him to stop. He told her to "hold on a little longer" and said that he was saving her money by not using anesthesia. After Robin went into shock, staff walked her down the steps and sent her to the hospital in a taxi. Robin needed a hysterectomy, 16 units of blood, and 6 hours of surgery. She spent a month in the hospital, four days of that in the Intensive Care Unit, and nearly died. She continued to suffer lingering physical problems with her legs and bladder after discharge. It was determined that Robin had actually been around 20 weeks pregnant. Bill Baird and his clinic are National Abortion Federation members.4
"We do have bad practitioners. And it's affecting all of us. And we have been reluctant to do anything or say anything or whatever because of the physician shortage. We don't want bad press, but when something happens, under our breaths we all say, 'Well, it was just a matter of time.'"
National Abortion Federation
Risk Management Seminar participant
September 1994
Links about NAF Member Abu Hayat
Botched Abortions Bring Clinics to Forefront
Doc's From Hell
Hayat Free to Continue Practice
New Inquiry For Physician On Abortion
NRLC Runs Hayat-Based Anti-FOCA Ad
Punishment Pending for Doctor From Avenue A
Third Trimester Abortion Exposed by NY Press
Links about NAF Member Steve Lichtenberg
Mom Sues Abortion Clinic After Death of Daughter
Links about NAF Member Pensacola Women's Health Services
Police Close Investigation in Abortion Death Case
Woman Dies After Abortion at Gunn's Old Clinic
Links about NAF Member Steve Brigham
Abortion Providers Charged
Abortion Provider's License Restored
Brigham to Fight License; Fetal-Murder Appeal
CMTE Refuses To Suspend License of Abortion Dr.
FL Follows NY, NJ & PA Taking Action Vs. Brigham
Judge Recommends Brigham's License Reinstated
NJ Right To Life News Snippets (scroll through)
Provider Malpractice Hearing Continues
State College Abortion Mill
Trial Starts in Brigham Suspension Hearing
Unsafe Abortions in State College
Woman Files Lawsuit Against Abortion Provider
Links about NAF Member Eastern Women's Center
Phila. Provider in Florida Has History
"Safe & Legal" In New York
Links about NAF Member West Loop Clinic
Doctor Claims Patient Death is Media Hype
More Problems for West Side Abortion Clinic
Links about NAF Member Reproductive Health Services
Physician Cleared in Abortion Death
Woman's Death Under Scrutiny
Woman Dies Following Abortion at St. Louis Clinic
Death is Third Connected With Abortion Doctor
Links about NAF Member FPA
(Family Planning Associates Medical Group)
a chain of clinics with various names
Mary Pena
Mom Sues Abortion Clinic After Death of Daughter
Priests for Life Examples of Maternal Death
(Listed here are Deanna Bell, Patricia Chacon, Laniece Dorsey, Josefina Garcia, Denise Holmes, Joyce Ortenzio, Mary Pena, and Tami Suematsu-- eight of the women who died from FPA abortions.)
"Their basic goal is to refer them to a NAF member clinic, and that's what they do."
NAF Spokeswoman Susan Shapiro
Taped telephone conversation with Life Dynamics
October 19, 1995
Telephone conversations quoted here are cited in Lime 5 by Mark Crutcher
copyright 1996 Life Dynamics Inc.
1.Associated Press 5/12/89, 7/28/89, 8/7/89
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution 5/12/89, 7/28/89, 1/5/90
Chattanooga News-Free Press 5/13/89, 1/4/90
2. Panama City News Herald 6/26/94
Pensacola News Journal 6/29/94
USA Today 6/30/94
St. Petersburg Times 6/30/94
Miami Herald 6/30/94, 7/30/94
Florida District 1 Autopsy Report No. MLA94-266
3. Perry County (IL) Coroner report 6/20/77
Chicago Tribune 8/31/77
CDC Abortion Surveillance Summary 1977
St. Louis Post-Dispatch 6/15/79
4. Suffolk (MA) Superior Court Civil Action No. 47117